Peace
by Spring Witch
Summary: The girls do something nice for Evvy, and help her to let go of the past. Contains spoilers for Battle Magic.


The first thing I should say is that this story seriously spoils _Battle Magic_. If you haven't read at least half of it, this will give away a lot.

Well, this is the first thing I've written in a while. It's also the first thing I've written that made me tear up. The death of Evvy's cats really hit me really hard. I have a cat that I love to pieces, and the idea of losing her made me cry. So, I wrote this. I hope everyone enjoys it.

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to Tamora Pierce.

* * *

**PEACE**

_**Dedicated to all animal owners, especially cat owners. And to everyone who has lost a four legged friend.**_

Three young women and a young man on horseback rode slowly up towards number 6 Cheeseman Street in the late morning, all four of them looking exhausted. Their party also included a large dog, a packhorse and a wagon pulled by yet another equine.

Finally they arrived at the front of number 6. "Oh, I am _so_ glad to be home!" Lady Sandrilene fa Toren sighed happily. Her foster-siblings nodded their agreement. Slowly, they dismounted and led their horses around back to the small stable they kept for them there, relieved to find their maid and their cook waiting for them, and the two women began to help unload the wagon.

"Thanks." The young man, Briar Moss, nodded at them both tiredly. He reached over and took his mage's kit before the maid could touch it. "But not that one. I'll handle that." He smiled at her. They'd been gone for so long that she'd obviously forgotten about mages and their kits.

The four unpacked a little, ate a light lunch, and napped in their own beds, tired from their long journey back from Namorn.

"What are your plans for the afternoon Briar?" Daja Kisubo asked her foster-brother. "Going to take it easy for a while?"

Briar shook his head. "No, I'm going to head up to Discipline and check on Evvy. Let her know I'm back and that I'm okay. I don't want her to worry."

The third sister, Trisana Chandler, nodded. "A good idea actually. Mind if I go along? I should go and visit Glaki." Briar shrugged.

"Why don't we all go?" Sandry said. "I know Lark will be wanting to see us. Rosethorn too."

Rather than take their weary horses, Sandry ordered a carriage to come and collect them. "Uncle's happy that I'm home." She shrugged when her siblings raised eyebrows at her.

When they were seated in the carriage, Daja said. "You and Evvy seem to be exceedingly close."

It was Briar's turn to shrug. "She saw some bad things in Gyongxe too. Maybe even worse; she certainly hasn't been the same since."

"But she's only what? Twelve?" Tris recalled.

Quietly, Briar told them of Evvy's torture at the hands of Yangjingi soldiers, and the killing of her cats. "She thought if she pretended to be dead they would leave Monster and the other cats be." He said softly, fists clenched in his lap. "But they murdered them all anyway. She woke up on a pile of corpses and her cats were among them. All seven of them."

Sandry's hands covered her mouth, her eyes wide. Daja's mouth was a grim line, her eyes hard as she muttered something in Trader talk about Oti Bookkeeper logging the reckoning of men who slaughtered a little girl's cats. Tris had turned her face away, and Briar suspected she was brushing away tears before they could see them. As tough and crotchety as she was, Tris felt the loss of animals the hardest.

As they opened the front gate of Discipline cottage, Evvy and Pasco came running out to meet them. Evvy threw herself at Briar, who grinned and hugged her back tightly. Pasco was slightly more reserved than his new friend, grinning widely at Sandry and talking a mile a minute, at least until Sandry pulled him into a hug and he blushed furiously. Looking around, Sandry also waved to Comas, Lark's new student, whom she could see hiding behind the curtains of her old room. To her surprise, he waved back. A year ago he wouldn't have been able to do even that.

Finally a little girl of about three toddled out of the front door, accompanied by Lark herself. Glaki ran as fast as her little legs would carry her towards Tris. The red-headed young woman knelt quickly on the ground, smiling a rare smile as she opened her arms for the little girl she loved so dearly. Lifting her up, she stood awkwardly still holding Glaki in her arms, listening to her toddler-babble and taking in everything she said with great seriousness. Daja stepped forward to greet Lark and Rosethorn, both of whom hugged her tightly. "I hope you all stayed out of trouble." Rosethorn said sternly.

Briar snorted. "Please. Trouble finds us, we can't help it." Evvy giggled.

Rosethorn sighed. "I suppose you'd better come inside and tell us all about it." She said, wrapping an arm around her boy, who still had an arm around Evvy.

They stayed at Discipline well past dinner, enjoying a meal with both their students and their teachers. Even Niko joined them.

On their way out, Briar looked at Evvy. "Enough about our trouble, did _you_ keep out of trouble Miss Evumeimei?"

She glared at the use of her full name. "Of course! Mostly… Rosethorn took me and Luvo on a trip; we helped a lot of people."

Briar squeezed her shoulder and smiled. "I'm glad you've been doing okay. Do you still have nightmares?"

She nodded, "Most nights. Always about Monster and the others." She sniffed a little. "Do _you_ still have nightmares Briar?"

"Yeah kid, all the time."

In the carriage on the way home Daja asked. "She has nightmares too?"

"Yes." Briar sighed. "Always about her dead cats. She badly needs closure, but I don't know how to give it to her."

Daja nodded thoughtfully.

"_You have an idea?"_ Sandry asked her through their link.

"_I think so." _Daja replied. Including Tris in the conversation, she began to explain her idea

* * *

The following morning, Briar returned to Discipline to help Rosethorn stock up her medicines, which gave the girls time to execute their plan. Tris walked into town to collect her part, basket in hand. Daja retreated to her forge to begin hers, and Sandry sat idly watching her as she stitched a tiny, intricate pattern into a piece of green woven cloth.

For her part, Daja forged a large piece of living metal. This would be a monument with pieces of all four of them a part of it. She reached into their magic link, finding what she needed from each of her siblings.

From her, there was the metal itself. She melted the shapes of seven cat paws into the surface.

From Sandry she took protection spells and safety spells, to prevent more harm. She etched them into each side of the metal.

From Tris, she took her love of animals. Tris' part in this was more physical, but she fed those feelings into the working.

And finally, from Briar, she took two things. First, his knowledge of all things green. As she worked, she fed images of catnip stems and leaves into the metal, leaving them stamped around the edges of the metal slab. In the middle of this piece she artfully engraved, in her best calligraphy, the names of seven cats.

Several hours later, as she was finishing the piece, Tris returned with her burden. Sandry looked up, tying the final knot on her embroidery. "Everything all right?"

The covered basket moved in Tris' grip. She smiled. "Everything is under control."

* * *

Briar was surprised to see the girls at Discipline that night as he was leaving. However they weren't coming through the door, they were coming out of Rosethorn's garden.

"You girls didn't have to come and get me." He said.

Tris snorted. "As if we came for you!" she grouched, clutching the basket that she still carried.

"We have something for Evvy. From the three of us." Sandry added, smiling at the girl kindly.

The three young women led Evvy into the garden, and the younger girl gasped at what she saw under an arch covered in climbing roses that hadn't been there the day before thanks to Rosethorn, who the girls had sent a message to earlier.

There, stood a living metal monument, with the names Monster, Asa, Mystery, Raisin, Ball, Ria and Apricot engraved on it. It was bordered with stamped catnip leaves and etched with spells. "To ease their passing." Daja explained. Evvy knelt beside it, tracing the names on the monument.

"Briar told us what happened." Sandry said. "We wanted to show you that you're not alone. We have all experienced the loss of our family."

Tris knelt beside her. "We can't bury them, but we can at least do this much. To give them a proper goodbye, and to let them know that they'll never be forgotten."

Evvy burst into tears. "I was trying to protect them." She sobbed. "And I got them killed. It's all my fault."

Briar wrapped his arms around her. "It's _not_ your fault Evvy. It's the fault of the Yangjingi Emperor and his pet mages. It never should have happened." Evvy sobbed harder. Briar and Tris both held her tight, allowing her to finally let go of her grief.

When her crying subsided, Tris had one more gift for her. "We have all lost our families, but we're also been able to find a new family, right here at Winding Circle." She said. "We hope that you'll find a family here with us too, Evvy." Retrieving her basket from Sandry, she finally removed the cover to reveal a small silver tabby kitten, who mewled at Evvy when it saw her.

"She will never replace the friends you lost. But she can be the beginning of your new family." Sandry said, holding out her own project, a green collar with a bell attached. Briar could see the protection and health spells his foster-sister had stitched into it.

Speechless, Evvy lifted her out of the basket, cuddling her close. "Thank you." She whispered, a single tear falling. "Thank you."

"What are you going to name her?" Briar asked.

Evvy thought for a moment. "Amani. It means Peace." She replied finally.

Daja peeled a small piece of metal off her palm and fashioned it into take, using some portable tools to etch the name into it before attaching it to the collar. Sandry then fastened it around the kitten's neck. It shrank to fit the small animal, and it would grow with her.

"_Thank you." _Briar told them mentally. _"This is beyond anything I could have done for her…"_

"_She's important to you."_ Daja replied. _"That means she's important to us too." _The other two nodded mentally.

Briar looked down so that his sisters wouldn't notice he'd teared up. This had been a catharsis for him as much as it had been for Evvy. It made him appreciate the family he had more than ever.

He looked down at Evvy. "How about we go inside and introduce Amani to Lark, Rosethorn and Pasco?" Evvy nodded and rose to her feet.

With Briar's arm still around her, the small group walked from the garden into the cottage. None of them saw the wisps of mist that gently solidified into tails, whiskers and paws. Monster licked his paw, looking satisfied. The others seemed to be purring contentedly.

Seven cats, watching over their family.

_fin._

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Whew! I feel better having written this. I hope everyone enjoyed it!


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